1 day Ago By Peter Holmes
From an industrial design point of view, compact disc technology was a curious beast. The discs were able to be treated with a casual disregard – scratched, scraped, dropped, covered in water – and they would bounce back. Even a disc that looked more like a carved up ice rink could still play songs.
Well, up to a point. Still, the tech was remarkable for its sturdiness. If the discs were an example of something that went right, the cases were the exact opposite.
The plastic contraptions with hinges cracked easily and were lucky to see out day one of use without something snapping or giving way. Double or triple CDs were even more useless. Then came the cardboard CD sleeves, like a bonsai LP sleeve.
These were fine if the disc fitted snuggly, but more often than not you had to yank it out because it was a few millimetres too small; or it would fall out, as it was a few millimetres too big. Over time the glue would come away from the cardboard. At any rate, for all their faults, certain CDs have not only held their value but increased exponentially in recent years.
The little brother of vinyl is muscling in on the collectors’ market, although it has some way to go. The truth is that most CDs are of little to no dollar value. CDs that sold by the hundreds of thousands or millions are everywhere, so there is no demand for them.
CDs that sold very few copies are most often by groups that were unloved and are long forgotten. For a compact disc to have notable value it needs to be rare and in excellent condition. Scratched discs and damaged packaging cruel the prices, as collectors generally aren’t interested in gear that has endured a difficult life.
Shrink-wrapped and unplayed is best, but how many people kept their CDs in mint condition? Not many. Rare CDs often come in the form of re-releases from the likes of The Beatles, Queen, the Grateful Dead and Metallica – bands who were around before the first CD was pressed. They are often discs released in countries such as Japan, smaller European nations, or Australia.
Then there are the promo CDs – often manufactured in small batches – that were sent to radio stations and journalists. These can hold significant value as they’re rare and often in good condition. Finally, there are the self-pressed small batch CDs made by unknown bands who went on to bigger things.
These CDs were often given to friends, family and industry types. So, do you have a CD in a box in a garage that might help you pay off the mortgage? Possible, but highly unlikely. One of the best sites to check out if your CD is worth anything is the UK-based eil.
com. Some of the CDs being sold at the moment include a Bruce Springsteen 1988 Japanese-only double CD set titled The Future Of Rock ‘N Roll for A$1,455. Eil.
com describes it as “probably the hardest Springsteen promo to find”. A 1991 US limited edition Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II 12-track audiophile CD version of Queen’s A Night At The Opera (first released on vinyl in 1975) is $A766.30.
A sealed copy of a 17-track, 2002 solo album Metafour by Duran Duran’s John Taylor is selling for A$378.30 on eil.com.
A copy is being sold on ebay for 240 pounds (A$466). A copy of Metallica’s One (1989 Japanese two-track stock copy with 3-inch CD single) is being sold for $A1,261. If that’s a little steep, a copy of Metallica’s 1990 US one-track promotional CD for Stone Cold Crazy is on sale at eil.
com for A$291. An Australian 1996 one-track promotional CD for The Beatles’ Real Love – rumoured to be limited to 100 copies – is A$378.30.
One of the rarest and most valuable CDs ever is the 2006 Banksy version of Paris Hilton’s debut CD Paris . It’s currently selling in one UK shop for A$18,300. “In 2006 after the release of Paris Hilton’s debut album, Paris, Banksy planted 500 copies of his own version of the album in 48 records shops across the UK, replacing the originals with his altered CD and case intact – with the correct barcode – so that Hilton fans purchased his copy unaware,” says the shop’s description of the CD.
“Banksy altered the inner sleeve with images of the socialite set against a backdrop of the homeless sleeping on the streets of LA, or with her head superimposed on the body of a mannequin. “Each page carried an insubordinate comment such as Every CD you buy puts me even further out of your league and Thou shalt not worship false icons . He altered the front sleeve depicting Hilton with a bare chest and replaced Hilton’s head for that of a dog’s.
“The CD, which features one track lasting for forty minutes, was mixed by Banksy and Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame and cuts in Hilton’s well used catch phrase that’s hot .” The CDs were signed Paris, with a heart symbol and a cross..
